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Trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Looking for ways to ensure your sleep patterns don’t get disturbed?
While sleep loss can be due to a number of reasons, teeth grinding or clenching, also referred to as bruxism, is definitely at the top of the list. And if you’re suffering from such a dental condition, then a mouth guard for sleeping is your best bet, especially a night guard. In today’s blog, we’ll explore why bruxism disturbs your sleep cycles and how a night guard can help make a difference.
How Does Bruxism Disturb Sleep
Bruxism, also known as teeth grinding or clenching, is a common dental condition that not only has adverse effects on your dental health but also on your sleep as well. This dental condition is further divided into two subtypes; sleep bruxism and awake bruxism. As suggested by the title, our focus will be mostly on sleep bruxism.
Sleep Bruxism: Why Does It Affect Your Sleep?
Sleep bruxism is the subconscious clenching or grinding of your teeth while sleeping. This can in turn lead to added stress and tension on the jaws and teeth, resulting in dental pain. Such pain can cause disruptions in your sleep cycle, hence making you wake up at irregular intervals throughout the night. Furthermore, here are some other reasons why sleep bruxism is disturbing your sleep.
- Disruptive Teeth Sounds
- Sleep Apnea
- Nerve Stimulation and Pain Signals
- Joint Stress
The Perfect Night Guard For Sleeping
A night guard is often described as a mouth guard for sleeping. It is designed specifically to tackle the adverse effects of bruxism and does so by acting as a protective layer between the upper and lower teeth to ensure they don’t get clenched or ground together.
But constantly having a dental tool in the mouth sounds like something that further disturbs sleep rather than enhancing the sleeping experience. So how does a night guard exactly act as a mouth guard for sleeping?
Muscle Relaxation
As we know, a night guard acts as a barrier between the teeth, which helps prevent bruxism. This in turn also helps ensure that the muscles and tissues surrounding the jaw and teeth stay in a more relaxed position, leading to a more blissful sleep cycle.
Improved TMJ Function
The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) allows the jaw to move in the manner it does by connecting it with the skull. This enables us to talk, chew, and perform other jaw-related activities without any issues.
However, excessive and unchecked bruxism can lead to a TMJ disorder, which not only limits the movement of the jaw but also leads to pain and discomfort in the surrounding area. Some of the areas affected by a TMJ disorder include:
- Jaw Joints and Muscles
- Face
- Head and Neck
But how does a night guard help with TMJ disorders, and why is it beneficial for sleeping?
See, the discomfort caused by a TMJ disorder will eventually catch up to you during your sleep cycles. This, combined with the already pesky bruxism pain, can definitely lead to multiple sleepless nights.
A night guard, however, ensures that the bite force is spread evenly on your jaw, resulting in less stress on the TMJ. Combine this with the previously discussed benefits of night guards on bruxism, and you’ve got a pain-free sleeping experience.
Less Grinding Noise
While this one may seem a bit obvious and quite minor in the grand scheme of things, a night guard can improve the sleep cycle aside from reducing the jaw and muscle tension.
This correlates to a previously briefly mentioned point regarding the noises caused by bruxism. Simply put, once the night guard reduces bruxism as a whole, this will eventually lead to fewer teeth noises and help ensure you or your partner don’t wake up in the middle of the night wondering about where the noise came from.
Which Night Guard Is The Best For You?
Now that we’ve discussed how night guards help with sleep, which one should you exactly buy? Of course, one could just go to a nearby sporting goods store or a pharmacy and purchase an over-the-counter night guard, but it may not be able to deliver the results you’re looking for in search of peaceful sleep.
To help you get a better picture of what night guard will suit you the best, here we’ll briefly touch on types available in the market so that you can make the best choice when choosing a mouth guard for sleeping.
Over-the-Counter
As the name suggests, over-the-counter (OTC) night guards are readily available at sporting goods stores, drug stores, pharmacies, etc. While they certainly shine in terms of being readily available, they seem to lack when delivering ideal results. But more on that later, as here are two of the most common OTC night guards you’ll find:
Stock Night Guards
These are pre-made night guards and come in standard sizes. The good news is that you can just pick your size and start wearing them for better sleep. However, the bad news is that finding the right size isn’t as easy as it sounds.
See, while night guards are available in standard sizes, there’s no guarantee that the standard size will fit you perfectly, and in most cases, it doesn’t.
Boil-and-Bite Night Guards
These night guards improve the previously mentioned downside of stock night guards, but the improvement may still not be enough for some.
The way they improve is by softening themselves when put in hot water. Once done, they are worn on the teeth to create a dental mold. After this, they seemingly attain the shape of the mold once they cool down. While these mouth guards for sleeping may seem to be the perfect choice, they still can’t seem to deliver the perfect fit.
Now you may be wondering, why are we focusing so much on the fit of the night guard? The main reason is that if they don’t fit, they’ll most likely end up doing the exact opposite of what we are looking for from a night guard in this blog, which is a peaceful sleep.
Custom Night Guard
Simply put, custom night guards are essentially night guards custom-tailored according to your dental conditions. There’s no boiling required, no confusion about the size, and no worrying about the fit. A custom night guard is made specifically for your teeth and jaw so that it provides the perfect fit while tackling bruxism and other dental problems as discussed above.
ALIGNERCO Custom Night Guard
To make things even easier for you, ALIGNERCO offers the best-in-class custom night guards to ensure there’s no compromise on your dental health and sleep.
What’s more, is that ALIGNERCO provides further customization based on the arch and material type. To put it simply, these offerings come in:
- Two Arch Types:
- Lower Arch
- Upper Arch
- Three Build Types:
- Soft
- Hybrid
- Hard
Taking Care Of Your Night Guard
So you’ve got your custom night guard from ALIGNERCO and are experiencing dramatic results in your sleep. But after a while, the sleep disruptions slowly start creeping up.
Why does this exactly happen?
While the ALIGNERCO Custom Night Guard is made from highly durable and long-lasting materials, just like any other dental tool, they require a certain level of upkeep to ensure they keep providing consistent and effective results.
Conclusion
Struggling with sleep and searching for a peaceful night’s rest can feel overwhelming. And while there may be a number of reasons you’re either constantly waking up during the night or can’t seem to get a shut-eye, dental problems seem to be a pretty probable cause in a lot of cases. This is why it is important to order a custom night guard from ALIGNERCO and start your journey towards a better night’s sleep today!
FAQs
1. Does a night guard help with sleep?
A night guard can improve the sleep cycles and reduce disruptions by treating sleep bruxism. It also helps relieve stress from the muscles and joints surrounding the jaws and the teeth.
2. What happens if you wear a night guard for sleeping without brushing?
Wearing a night guard without brushing can lead to an increase in germs and plaque buildup. Furthermore, other side effects of doing so can include bad breath, gum diseases, and tooth decay.
3. Can you drink water while wearing a night guard?
While it is generally safe to consume water while wearing a night guard, one should refrain from drinking any sugary or strongly pigmented drinks to ensure they don’t damage or stain the night guard.
